Introduction: 

In the age of Industry 4.0, the volume of data generated in manufacturing environments continues to grow exponentially. But data alone doesn’t drive smarter decisions. It’s how you visualise and act on that data that creates real value. For companies in life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and high-volume manufacturing, choosing the right data visualisation tool is critical.

In this blog, we compare three leading tools in the space: Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, and SEEQ, examining their features, benefits, and use cases from the perspective of industrial data analytics.

Why Data Visualisation Matters in Manufacturing?

Before diving into the tools, it’s worth revisiting why data visualisation plays such a key role in manufacturing.

Manufacturers face constant pressure to increase yield, reduce downtime, improve compliance, and optimise performance. Data visualisation tools allow plant teams, analysts, and decision-makers to transform raw operational data into actionable insights. Whether tracking equipment efficiency or identifying production bottlenecks, the right dashboard can be the difference between reactive and proactive decision-making.

Power BI: Scalable, Accessible, and Microsoft-Native

Microsoft Power BI is one of the most widely used business intelligence platforms in the world. It offers deep integration with Microsoft products, scalability, and user-friendly interfaces, making it a powerful choice for companies already embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Key Features:

• Native integration with Excel, Azure, and SharePoint
• Drag-and-drop dashboard creation
• Custom DAX formulas for advanced metrics
• Scheduled data refresh and real-time dashboards
• Strong data modelling capabilities

Strengths:

• Easy to adopt for teams already using Microsoft 365
• Strong community support and regular updates
• Affordable pricing tiers at enterprise level compared to other  visualization tools 
• Suitable for both SME and enterprise scale

Manufacturing Use Cases:

• OEE Dashboards: Track overall equipment effectiveness across multiple plants
• Quality Monitoring: Monitor defect rates and identify trends
• Supply Chain Analysis: Visualise logistics and inventory data

Limitations:

• Can be less flexible for time-series industrial data
• Requires additional configuration for integration with industrial historians like AVEVA PI or OSIsoft

Tableau: Powerful Visualisation and Data Exploration

Tableau is known for its visually rich dashboards and ability to handle large datasets from varied sources. It empowers users to explore data intuitively and supports custom, interactive reporting.

Key Features:

• Rich data visualisation capabilities
• Native support for many data connectors
• Real-time data exploration and drill-downs
• Customisable dashboards with dynamic filters

Strengths:

• Intuitive UI for data analysts and non-technical users
• Excellent at data storytelling and presenting complex trends
• Highly flexible for different data sources and schemas

Manufacturing Use Cases:

• Batch Performance Analysis: Track trends in batch processes over time
• Energy Consumption Reporting: Visualise and compare energy usage across facilities
• KPI Reporting Dashboards: Executive-level visual reporting across departments

Limitations:

• Higher licensing costs than some alternatives
• Not purpose-built for time-series industrial data
• More suitable for data analysts than plant-floor users

SEEQ: Purpose-Built for Time-Series Industrial Data

SEEQ is designed specifically for advanced analytics in process manufacturing industries. Built to work with time-series data from historians like AVEVA PI or Canary, SEEQ enables engineers and analysts to gain insights from complex datasets quickly.

Key Features:

• Native connectivity with AVEVA PI System, OSIsoft, and Canary
• Purpose-built for time-series and event-based data
• Predictive analytics and statistical modelling
• Collaboration features for teams across functions
• Strong integration with Jupyter for advanced data science

Strengths:

• Ideal for engineers and process analysts
• Handles large volumes of industrial data efficiently
• Designed around manufacturing and life sciences workflows
• Short time to value with minimal IT setup

Manufacturing Use Cases:

• Process Optimisation: Identify trends and anomalies in production runs
• Deviation Analysis: Investigate root causes of failures and off-spec product
• Batch Comparisons: Compare equipment and material performance across runs

Limitations:

• Not designed for traditional business metrics (e.g. finance or HR data)
• Requires familiarity with process data structures and tag naming conventions

Choosing the Right Tool for Your Manufacturing Business

The best data visualisation tool depends on your organisation’s needs, data environment, and user base. Here’s a quick comparison:

At Réalta Technologies, we work with clients to implement the right data visualisation solution based on their unique needs. This might be AVEVA PI paired with SEEQ for deep process insights, Tableau connected to AVEVA PI for advanced visual storytelling, or Power BI dashboards for plant-wide KPIs and reporting.

How Réalta Technologies Adds Value

As experts in industrial data architecture, data science, and automation, Réalta Technologies supports clients through every stage of their data journey. This includes infrastructure and historian setup, advanced analytics, and dashboard delivery.

We’ve successfully delivered SEEQ and AVEVA PI solutions across global manufacturing and life sciences clients. Our partnerships with leading technology providers and our in-house data engineering team ensure solutions that are tailored, validated, and built for real-world impact.

Conclusion

Data visualisation is not just about attractive dashboards. It’s about empowering teams with insights. Whether you need plant-level performance metrics, quality trends, or predictive insights, selecting the right visualisation tool is essential.

Power BI, Tableau, and SEEQ each offer distinct advantages. Understanding how they align with your infrastructure, team skillsets, and business goals helps ensure long-term value.

Need help selecting or implementing your data visualisation tools? Get in touch with our team.

Phone: +353 21 243 9113

Email: [email protected]